Odisha teacher suspended for HSC exam irregularities

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Mar 19:

The Odisha government has suspended Akshay Kumar Acharya, a senior teacher of Khan Nagar High School at Cuttack, for dereliction of duty during annual High School Certificate (HSC) examinations.

The suspension order by the Director, Secondary Education was handed over to Acharya by the District Education Office (DEO) of Cuttack.

According to reports, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) had selected Khan Nagar High School an examination cum evaluation centre.

After the examination was concluded on March 9, the answer sheets were brought to the school for evaluation.

Prior to the despatch of the answer sheets, headmistress of the school Rozi Ray, in a standing order, had asked all the teachers and staffs of the school to remain alert.

On March 12, Ray had gone to meet the DEO after getting a SMS from him. Later she met the BSE officials in connection with the mismanagement in the school earlier during the examinations.

In the meanwhile, the answer sheets arrived at the school at about 11 AM. After receiving the answer sheets in the absence of the headmistress, Acharya, who was appointed as the deputy superintendent of the centre by the BSE, kept them in the sports room instead of keeping inside the strong room.

The headmistress, on her return to the school at about 5 PM, found the answer sheets in the sports room, and later kept them inside the strong room in presence of the teachers and staffs.

The incident came to light after it was flashed in a local television media showing the question papers lying inside the sports room of the school.

Later, the BSE shifted the centre to the Nua Bazar High School.

Following the incident, the Director, Secondary Education had ordered a probe. Acting on his report, a committee of the BSE, in course of its investigation found Acharya guilty. On the basis of the report of the committee, the director asked the DEO to place him under suspension in an order on March 16.